7 die in rains, landslide in Latin America

At least seven people died in a Caracas slum due to heavy rains from Tropical Storm Matthew, which brought fresh misery to a region were hundreds have been killed in flooding and landslides this year.
An unrelated freak storm in Haiti killed at least five survivors from its devastating January quake and wounded dozens as it blasted through the capital Port-au-Prince, tearing down shabby tent homes, trees and power lines. Tropical Storm Matthew killed its seven victims on Friday in the Santa Ana de Antimano neighborhood after their home was flooded.Caracas fire chief William Martinez said authorities also conducted preventive evictions in other high-risk areas.Thousands of people had been evacuated elsewhere in Central America ahead of Matthew, which made landfall in a lightly populated area of northeastern Nicaragua, then headed west, dumping rain across much of northern Honduras. The storm was moving west-northwest at 24km per hour.

Tropical Storm Matthew hits Nicaragua, Honduras

TEGUCIGALPA: Tropical Storm Matthew hit Honduras and Nicaragua on Friday, forcing hundreds of residents and tourists to evacuate and threatening damage to Central America’s coffee and sugar crops.

Rains soaked Honduras’ isolated Mosquitia coast, only accessible by boat or plane, where poor indigenous groups live in precarious wood houses on riverbanks or near the sea. Many people left their homes to wait out the storm in temporary shelters.

“I’m stocking up on food because they say the storm will cause serious damage. Later on we won’t be able to leave the house, or there won’t be any goods in the stores,” Zoila Solorzano said at a shop in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa.

Matthew, with winds of 45 mph (75 kph), moved inland over Nicaragua’s Atlantic coast near the border with Honduras and is set to bring six to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) of rain over the

Oil falls amid weak US data

NEW YORK: Oil fell to around $76 a barrel on Friday, dropping alongside equities markets as weak US consumer sentiment and falling consumer prices lowered investor appetite for risk.

Data released on Friday showed US consumer prices fell for a third straight month while consumer sentiment tumbled to an 11-month low, helping push down both oil and equities.

Falling consumer prices can be a sign that an economy is in deceleration, which would reduce demand for oil. Low consumer sentiment implies less consumer demand for goods and services, which would likewise hurt oil demand.

US crude for August settled down 61 cents to $76.01 a barrel, closing the week 8 cents lower than the previous week.

Prices reached an interday high of $77.15.

London Brent”s new front-month September crude oil futures contract was down 72 cents to $75.37.

“It”s really the demand-side story that is driving the-day-to day price swings,” said Tim Evans, energy analyst for Citi Futures Perspective. “The thing that is directing traffic here for the oil market is whether the SP is up or down.”

The SP 500 and the Dow Jones industrial average were both down more than 2 percent in afternoon trading, spurred by lackluster earnings and the sluggish economic data.

That data overshadowed a decline in the US dollar, which is usually bullish for crude because it makes oil cheaper for buyers that hold other currencies.

Traders also shrugged off news of possible storms that could disrupt Gulf of Mexico oil operations.

The US National Hurricane Center said two low pressure systems, one in the Gulf of Mexico and one east of Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea, each had a 10 percent chance of becoming the season”s next tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.

It was days away from potentially entering the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico.

US crude prices have traded in a range between $71 and $80 a barrel for almost six weeks as volatility related to the European debt crisis dwindled. This week they have found support near the $75 per barrel range.

“Near-term crude fundamentals continue to look supportive as refinery runs remain on the rise, particularly in Asia following seasonal maintenance,” said J.P. Morgan in a research note.

Over the year, prices have stayed within a $23 span, hitting a 19-month peak above $87 and a trough below $65, both in May.

Hurricane Alex strengthens to Category Two

LA CARBONERA: The first Atlantic hurricane of the year strengthened to a Category Two on Wednesday, as residents of the Mexican Gulf coast and south Texas braced for it to make landfall.

Hurricane Alex rose one notch on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale late Wednesday, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, after Mexico evacuated hundreds of people from fishing towns south of the US border.

Alex has already disrupted oil clean-up operations off the coast of Louisiana, and US President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Texas late Tuesday.

Giant waves and strong winds were expected around the US-Mexico border as the storm churned westwards through the Gulf of Mexico, packing winds near 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour, according to the latest NHC report.

Obama requested federal aid for relief operations after a hurricane warning was issued for southeast Texas and northeast Mexico.

Texas Governor Rick Perry issued his own state disaster proclamation for 19 counties.

Mexican authorities have already reported one storm-related death.

They evacuated some 2,000 inhabitants near the beach in the town of La Carbonera, close to where the storm was expected to hit overnight Wednesday.

Further north in the city of Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, the edge of the storm already brought torrential rain which flooded streets.

Alex was some 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of La Pesca, Mexico and 105 miles (170 kilometers) south southeast of Brownsville, Texas, at 2100 GMT, according to the NHC.

The storm was well southwest of the area worst hit by the massive BP oil spill — the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida — though its strong winds have already caused problems for the cleanup effort.

It was not forecast to turn towards the spill, but severe winds have churned up waves that halted some cleanup operations and threatened to push more of the huge slick onto shore.

The NHC has warned that heavy rains could cause life-threatening flash floods, mud slides, and that ocean water could penetrate inland for several miles.

Tornadoes were possible over southern Texas on Wednesday, the NHC added.

Alex is the first Atlantic hurricane to form this early, in June, since 1995, according to the NHC.

Alex has already killed at least 10 people in Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador over the weekend.

El Salvador Floods, Mudslides kill 124

SAN SALVADOR: El Salvador Floods, Mudslides kill 124, A late-season hurricane ravaged parts of Central America on Sunday as floods and landslides killed at least 124 in El Salvador, where the president declared a state of emergency, and thousands were left homeless in Nicaragua.

Hurricane Ida, which grew to a category two storm Sunday, was moving into the southern Gulf of Mexico but local officials said it had caused no casualties or damage to infrastructure in the popular tourist resort city of Cancun.

Forecasters at the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center said Ida had strengthened packing top wind speeds of 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour as it moved over Mexico’s Caribbean coast.

The tail-end of Ida coupled with a low pressure system in the Pacific caused heavy flooding in El Salvador that left 124 people dead, civil defense officials said. President Mauricio Funes declared a state of emergency.

Civil Defense chief Jorge Melendez added that “there could be more fatalities” in the eastern regions of Verapaz and Tepetitan.

In Tepetitan, landslides and overflowing rivers carried away some 30 houses, authorities said. Some residents had agreed to evacuate the area, but a number “refused to leave their homes,” according to mayor Ana Jovel.

In Verapaz, 71 miles (114 km) southeast of the capital San Salvador, officials reported a raging torrent of mud, rocks and tree trunks ripping through a whole section of the town, burying houses and cars.

A dozen bodies of victims were hauled from the devastation to a local chapel and covered with white sheets, caked with mud, as they awaited identification by relatives.

El Salvador has been on a state of alert since Thursday as heavy rains associated with Ida began to affect the region, destroying an estimated 930 homes and leaving some 13,000 people homeless in Nicaragua.

On Saturday, Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega said his government hoped to make available up to 4.4 million dollars in aid for those affected by the storm.

At 0001 GMT on Monday, the National Hurricane Center said Ida was about 140 miles (225 km) west-northwest of the western tip of Cuba, moving near 12 miles (19 kilometers) per hour.

The center said the storm, currently a category two on the Saffir-Simpson scale, strengthened with sustained winds near 105 mph (165 km/hr) but was forecast to weaken on Monday, the NHC said.

A hurricane watch has been issued for parts of the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as for the area east of the Mississippi-Alabama border through the northwest area of Florida.

The NHC stressed the hurricane watch does not cover the city of New Orleans, which was devastated in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina.

Forecasters warned Ida could dump between three to five inches of rain in the Yucatan and western Cuba, with up to eight inches in some places, as well as storm surges and “large and destructive waves.”

This year, the Pacific’s El Nino ocean-warming phenomenon has resulted in an especially calm Atlantic hurricane season — a welcome respite for Caribbean and southeastern US residents still smarting from a 2008 pounding.

There have only been two other hurricanes in the 2009 Atlantic season, which runs from June 1 to late November 30.

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El Salvador Floods, Mudslides kill 124 was first posted on November 9, 2009 at 12:46 pm.

Yankees Parade Route,Yankees Parade

Yankees Parade Route,Yankees Parade: What will be the Yankees Ticker-Tape Parade Route ?

Yankees Parade Route,Yankees Parade:What will be the Yankees Ticker-Tape Parade Route? And what day will be the Yankees Parade? The Canyon of Heroes is getting some visitors!

The Mayor’s spokesperson said in October “We always find a way to honor our teams but we don’t discuss plans beforehand”. The Yankees Parade route drew 3.5 million fans in 1996 and 1998.

New York’s last ticket-tape parade was the Giants in 2008. It cost $331,000 but nearly all was covered by NYC & Co.. It followed the same Canyon of Heroes route that dates back to at least the 1940s.

In 1999, the Yankees victory parade featured players on a double decker bus with Mariano Rivera, then World Series MVP, on his own float. Five city high bands played. Thereafter a private invite only event was held at City Hall to 5000 guests.

In 2000, the Yankees parade started at noon on a Monday. That year, NYC Transit advised passengers to avoid the numbered subway lines (West Side’s 2, 3, 1, and 9 and East Side’s 4, 5, and 6) due to crowds. The number 6 train was sent also to Bowling Green that year. NYC Transit suggested parade attendees to use the N,R, A, C and E trains also.

The 2009 Yankees Parade will be FRIDAY at 11 am EST. Stay with LALATE for live coverage of the parade.

source:http://news.lalate.com/

Yankees Parade Route,Yankees Parade

Yankees Parade Route,Yankees Parade: What will be the Yankees Ticker-Tape Parade Route ? And what day will be the Yankees Parade ? The Canyon of Heroes is getting some visitors! The Mayor’s spokesperson said in October “We always find a way to honor our teams but we don’t discuss plans beforehand”

Yankees Parade Route,Yankees Parade:What will be the Yankees Ticker-Tape Parade Route? And what day will be the Yankees Parade? The Canyon of Heroes is getting some visitors!

The Mayor’s spokesperson said in October “We always find a way to honor our teams but we don’t discuss plans beforehand”. The Yankees Parade route drew 3.5 million fans in 1996 and 1998.

New York’s last ticket-tape parade was the Giants in 2008. It cost $331,000 but nearly all was covered by NYC & Co.. It followed the same Canyon of Heroes route that dates back to at least the 1940s.

In 1999, the Yankees victory parade featured players on a double decker bus with Mariano Rivera, then World Series MVP, on his own float. Five city high bands played. Thereafter a private invite only event was held at City Hall to 5000 guests.

In 2000, the Yankees parade started at noon on a Monday. That year, NYC Transit advised passengers to avoid the numbered subway lines (West Side’s 2, 3, 1, and 9 and East Side’s 4, 5, and 6) due to crowds. The number 6 train was sent also to Bowling Green that year. NYC Transit suggested parade attendees to use the N,R, A, C and E trains also.

The 2009 Yankees Parade will be FRIDAY at 11 am EST. Stay with LALATE for live coverage of the parade.

source:http://news.lalate.com/

Hurricane Ida,Tropical Storm Ida

Hurricane Ida,Tropical Storm Ida: Ida strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it approached the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua on Thursday and was set to make landfall later in the day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Heavy rains dumped on Nicaragua’s eastern coast and hundreds evacuated from Corn Island, a popular tourist spot

Hurricane Ida,Tropical Storm Ida:Ida strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it approached the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua on Thursday and was set to make landfall later in the day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Heavy rains dumped on Nicaragua’s eastern coast and hundreds evacuated from Corn Island, a popular tourist spot.

At 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT) center of Hurricane Ida was located about 60 miles (100 km) north-northeast of Bluefields and about 85 miles (135 km) south of Puerto Cabezas in Nicaragua.

The hurricane was moving toward the northwest at close to 7 mph (11 kph) and, after making landfall, will move across eastern Nicaragua and Honduras during the next couple of days, the center said.

The storm is expected to weaken as it moves over Nicaragua, but heavy rains could produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.

Coffee producers, just starting a new harvest, are watching weather developments closely, but say their crops in the mountainous regions near the Honduran border are far from strong coastal winds.

Landslides could wash out roads to coffee farms or heavy rain could knock ripening cherries off trees, Luis Osorio, technical director at the national coffee council, said on Wednesday.

The NHC’s longer-term forecast showed Ida passing over Central America and regaining tropical storm strength by Monday off Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. That could take it into the oil and gas-rich Gulf of Mexico.
source:http://in.reuters.com

Hurricane Ida,Tropical Storm Ida

Hurricane Ida,Tropical Storm Ida: Ida strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it approached the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua on Thursday and was set to make landfall later in the day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said

Hurricane Ida,Tropical Storm Ida:Ida strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it approached the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua on Thursday and was set to make landfall later in the day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Heavy rains dumped on Nicaragua’s eastern coast and hundreds evacuated from Corn Island, a popular tourist spot.

At 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT) center of Hurricane Ida was located about 60 miles (100 km) north-northeast of Bluefields and about 85 miles (135 km) south of Puerto Cabezas in Nicaragua.

The hurricane was moving toward the northwest at close to 7 mph (11 kph) and, after making landfall, will move across eastern Nicaragua and Honduras during the next couple of days, the center said.

The storm is expected to weaken as it moves over Nicaragua, but heavy rains could produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.

Coffee producers, just starting a new harvest, are watching weather developments closely, but say their crops in the mountainous regions near the Honduran border are far from strong coastal winds.

Landslides could wash out roads to coffee farms or heavy rain could knock ripening cherries off trees, Luis Osorio, technical director at the national coffee council, said on Wednesday.

The NHC’s longer-term forecast showed Ida passing over Central America and regaining tropical storm strength by Monday off Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. That could take it into the oil and gas-rich Gulf of Mexico.
source:http://in.reuters.com

Miss Universe 2009 Contestants

Here is a compelte list of Miss Universe 2009 Contestants:

Albania – Hasna Xhukiçi
Angola – Nelsa Alves
Argentina – Johanna Lasic
Aruba – Dianne Croes
Australia – Rachael Finch
Bahamas – Kiara Sherman
Belgium – Zeynep Sever
Bolivia – Dominique Peltier
Brazil – Larissa Costa
Bulgaria – Elitsa Lubenova
Canada – Mariana Valente
Cayman – Islands Nicosia Lawson
China – Wang Jingyao
Colombia – Michelle Rouillard
Costa Rica – Jessica Umaña
Croatia – Sarah ?osi?
Curaçao – Angenie Simon
Cyprus – Kielia Giasemidou
Czech – Republic Iveta Lutovská
Dominican Republic – Ada de la Cruz
Ecuador – Sandra Vinces
Egypt – Elham Wagdi
El Salvador – Mayella Mena
Estonia – Diana Arno
Ethiopia – Melat Yante
Finland – Essi Pöysti
France – Chloé Mortaud
Georgia – Lika Ordzhonikidze
Germany – Martina Lee
Ghana – Jennifer Koranteng
Great Britain – Clair Cooper
Greece – Viviana Kampanile
Guam – Racine Manley
Guatemala – Lourdes Figueroa
Guyana – Jenel Cox
Honduras – Bélgica Suárez
Hungary – Zsuzsa Budai
Iceland – Ingibjörg Egilsdóttir
India – Ekta Choudhry
Indonesia – Zivanna Letisha Siregar
Ireland – Diana Donnelly
Israel – Yulia Liubianitzki
Italy – Laura Valenti
Jamaica – Carolyn Yapp
Japan – Emiri Miyasaka
Kazakhstan – Olga Nikitina
Korea – Ree Na
Kosovo – Marigona Dragusha
Lebanon – Martine Andraos
Malaysia – JoannaBelle Ng
Mauritius – Anaïs Veerapatren
Mexico – Karla Carrillo
Montenegro – Anja Jovanovi?
Namibia – Happie Ntelamo
Netherlands – Avalon-Chanel Weyzig
New Zealand – Katie Taylor
Nicaragua – Indiana Sánchez
Nigeria – Sandra Otohwo
Norway – Eli Landa
Panama – Diana Broce
Paraguay – Mareike Baumgarten
Peru – Karen Schwarz
Philippines – Pamela Bianca Manalo
Poland – Angelika Jakubowska
Puerto – Rico Mayra Matos
Romania – Elena Bianca Constantin
Russia – Sofia Rudieva
Serbia – Dragana Atlija
Singapore – Rachel Kum
Slovak Republic – Denisa Mendrejová
Slovenia – Mirela Kora?
South Africa – Tatum Keshwar
Spain – Estíbaliz Pereira
Sweden – Renate Cerljen
Switzerland – Whitney Toyloy
Tanzania – Illuminata James
Thailand – Chutima Durongdej
Turkey – Senem Kuyucuo?lu
Turks & Caicos – Jewel Selver
Ukraine – Kristina Kotz-Gotlib
Uruguay – Cintia Dottone
USA – Kristen Dalton
Venezuela – Stefanía Fernández
Vietnam – Võ Hoàng Y?n
Zambia – Andella Chileshe Matthews

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Miss Universe 2009 Contestants was first posted on August 24, 2009 at 9:49 am.